


Daybreak

by LunaUlric



Category: Final Fantasy XV, Kingsglaive
Genre: Angst, F/M, Lunyx Week, borrowed time before the end, kingsglaive ffxv, leaving on a jetplane, lunyx, otp: the princess and the glaive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-25 01:16:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12519648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaUlric/pseuds/LunaUlric
Summary: Nyx has a flight to catch but he has to patch things up before it’s too late.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Day 4 of LuNyx Week on tumblr. Prompt: Borrowed time before the end
> 
> Like most of my fics it's set in my Kingsglaive AU where Nyx works as a bodyguard for Luna regularly unless ordered to battle. I will be making a continuation of this story later when I get a breather from work.

****_"So kiss me and smile for me_  
_Tell me that you’ll wait for me  
_ _Hold me like you’ll never let me go"_

_\- John Denver, Leaving on a Jet Plane_

 

He stood there on the spot as promised. Just a couple of feet away from the metal gates of the palace’s garden, before dawn, where he saw her favorite flowers which hadn’t bloomed yet and felt the remainder of the night’s cool breeze. His glaive uniform fitted him as it always did. His boots were polished to perfection. The princess’ bodyguard had been here many times, wearing the same attire as required for the job. However, it was far too early for him to be in this place and certainly odd for him to be carrying a duffle bag full of his travel necessities.

The flight would leave at six in the morning. What awaited Nyx and the rest Kingsglaive was the most urgent and dangerous mission yet. And here he stood, just an hour before the appointed time, risking a scold from his superior. He would wait and wait in the cold until she would appear from the shadows of the flora and he would say the words that he had rehearsed in the privacy of his mind.

 _I’m sorry_ , the glaive would say.  _I was a jerk. Please forgive me._

And for the first time, Nyx felt like the guys in those cliché romantic movies that he and his fellow glaives had watched one time in a drunken state. Those flicks were just hilarious for the drunkard’s eye but he never thought that he would be in a similar position, where the man made shameless pleas to earn a love’s precious absolution. Life imitating art, as they say. Or could it be the other way around? It didn’t matter. Cheesy movies wouldn’t help him much in this real life predicament.

Dawn was fast approaching and there was nothing but the diminishing sounds of crickets and the sky that began to slowly change its hue. He dropped his duffle bag on the ground and paced a bit, adjusting his sights at the palace’s stone wall that was just behind a layer of greenery. He kept his eye on the third window where he hoped to see the faint glow of light that meant that she was awake at least.

Alas, there was no light. The princess was most likely deep in sleep and clueless of his presence. The glaive began to worry.  _Did she find the note? Did she forget?… Did she throw it away?_

That flimsy piece of paper where Nyx had etched a careful request to a talk in this very spot before he would leave was his last resort of reaching out to her. He had slipped it into the seam of the door to her quarters just yesterday, when he finally realized it was impossible for him to verbally ask a simple a thing such as this.

And how long has it been since they had actually spoke one another? Three days? Five? To him it felt like a month or even longer. And the last thing she had spoken to him was…

_Don’t you trust me?_

Her quiet, shaky voice had done the blow as hard as the words would pierce into his chest. Nyx had mentally beaten himself up because he hesitated to reply to that despite being very sure that, yes, he trusted her.

In the same way, he had hesitated to tell about the injuries he had sustained from the last mission. The uniform he wore now was able to hide the bandages but the moment the princess pressed a palm on his chest, his face conveyed a noticeable wince. In which the blonde didn’t dare ignore. Her glaive had broken a pact where he should tell of his cuts and bruises so that she would rid him of them through her gifts. But it was on purpose that he neglected even the smallest of mention, simply because he didn’t want her to worry. To cause a burden.

An old, selfless habit that frustrated his friends for the longest time.

“You’re wasting your worries on me.” he had reasoned.

But Luna had obviously thought otherwise. With sharp eyes and voice, she had countered gravely.

“Your well being is and will always be a  _great_  importance to me. You, of all people,  _should know_  that.”

She had healed his wounds but the argument found its way back in their lips. It blew out of proportion to the point that she had refused to look at him even though the glaive-bodyguard had been trailing just a few feet behind. This went on for days.

Now, Nyx was still ignored. He looked at his watch and found that that he was running out of time.

Ten minutes more, he told himself as he pushed a small button on his watch to set the timer.

Ten long minutes before he would leave for the dangerous part of his job and hope that maybe he could just settle this when he comes back.

If he comes back.

Seeing her should be enough to ease his nervousness as always. But he has to fix a broken piece that was between them before the sun rises, or else it would be the worse way to go if he meets his end. The last thing he wanted was to have the harsh exchange to be the final memory of them together.

The watch shrilled its soft beeps into the stoic garden. His heart sank so deeply and his hand reached for the duffle bag.

That was when he heard a set of footsteps.

He stopped and saw a figure blooming from the dark. She approached the gate tentatively as if the one on the other side might fly away if she ran to him so suddenly. Wearing a light colored coat and, Luna’s eyes met his in an instant through the spaces of the metal bars. Her hair was in a loose side braid. She hugged herself against the cold. And even just the simplest of her appearance took his breath away.

Neither the princess nor the glaive spoke for a moment, until he tried to blurt out of what was rehearsed.

“I’m sorry. I was jerk. I should’ve told you…”

His voice trailed off, exuding the guilt he had carried in him. Her expressions was soft even before he said it, but he must speak and make his words as earnest as his heart that murmurs her name.

“Princess… Please forgive me.”

A silent glance from the royal. Nevertheless, her brows creased in worry like at that moment when she found out about his wounds. Her hand pushed for the gate to open and, soon, there was nothing between them but the touch of her palm on his chest and the small gap between their breaths. Her fingers traced on the fabric as his gloved hand delicately caressed her warm cheek. He had sorely missed this closeness between them. This mutual touch that meant of the care and affection.

“I beg for the same.” she said softly. “Forgive me for my silence.”

“I only deserved it.” he appealed.

She shook her head and scanned for his features as though she was searching where she should heal him. Meanwhile, he felt the broken bond repair itself with every second of his nearness to her.

The princess continued to offer her remorse. “It was just a silly thing and I made it more serious than it should’ve been.”

And still, the glaive shared her emotion but with his own faults in mind. “I took your feelings for granted. I shouldn’t have done that from the beginning when I came back wounded.”

They would go back and forth and it would never end if one would not concede. But before it could go on, Nyx dropped his bag and gently pulled her closer in an embrace as if he would kiss her. He rested his forehead onto hers as he closed his eyes. He felt deeply unburdened to some degree and he was sure she felt the same.

They had have fought and bickered but they had always gravitated towards each other on this way, learning more and loving more. In silence, they forgave each other just before the sun had peeked into the horizon.

However, there was still a possibly unforgivable thing. Nyx knew that his duffle bag had caught Luna’s attention.

“How long will you be away?” the princess asked.

He pulled his head back and brushed aside a small amount of stray hair from her face and hooked it behind her ear.

“A week maybe.” The glaive mumbled.

He hoped his tone wasn’t evidently nervous. Unfortunately, she had surely noticed because worry was etched on her face again.

“Will it be a dangerous mission?”

He nodded simply and avoided to tell more so that her worries wouldn’t be fueled much. Old habits die hard, but at least he was honest now. His missions were always dangerous but he had downplayed their weight. The upcoming assignment, however… This was a different story.

At the corner of his eye, he saw the dawn greeting them. His time was up.

“I have to go.” Nyx said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Her hands crept up for the collar of his uniform, and for his neck, and for his jaw. Until she held his face fondly. He would’ve asked for a smile and a kiss. He never said a word but she did all of what he needed anyway. A smile appeared on her face before her soft lips captured his own. And while doing so, for as long as they could keep themselves in that intimate connection, she held him as if she begged for him to stay. His hands that held her waist and the small of her back also still refused to let her go.  

But duty pulled him away from her lovely caress. And it pained him. His senses drank all of her - her touch, her eyes, her breaths - before he reached for the duffle bag. He would take that mental image of her with him and he would dream of her kisses. And maybe, like him, she would dream of the days that he would freely stay with her, by her side. Always.

“I shall wait.” she said. “And you shall come home to me.”

Another promise he might break, but Nyx nodded anyway.

The glaive was forgiven now but would he still earn forgiveness if he loses his life out there in the dust?

Was he still worth the wait?

He didn’t bother answering those questions himself. He didn’t have the luxury to spend his thoughts on them anyway. Instead, with the remainder of his time here, he concentrated on her fingers that hadn’t relinquished him yet.  

Finally, he returned a cherished kiss to say his goodbye before slipping away from her. Fighting against his inner wishes, he marched away to catch his flight and left his love alone in daylight.


	2. Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kingsglaive arrives home after their dangerous battle and the princess can’t wait to see her glaive again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story diverged to an alternative storyline and is no way connected to the other stories in the same AU, except to the previous chapter's story.

_“Take my hand in yours_  
_You’ll always find it waiting  
_ _Just to feel at home…“_

_\- Matthew Spencer_

 

It wasn’t hard to spot them, Luna figured.

Some sat, some stood, but all of them remained fixed in their place in the small corner while the crowd had continued on with the day. They were just a handful of them, as sadly expected. Their arms hugged themselves and their eyes watched the horizon like something would replace the sun as soon as it sunk. With no luggage, no intention to take flight, they just waited. And they would still wait even if the light from the skies had disappeared.

That was what truly separated them from the torrent of the luggage-dragging travelers, Luna thought. And it wasn’t the waiting, because there was plenty of that in the airport’s bustling air. It was, perhaps, the tense thoughts that made home in the recess of their minds since the waiting began. If the promises given to them were kept, those thoughts would cease to exist in an instant.

But none of the Kingslglaive had come home in the appointed time.

For the battles had exceeded expectations, the news had told them, and were far too difficult to conclude quickly. The promised week had stretched into a month, which gave room for the few loved ones of the king’s soldiers to cultivate their silent misery -especially that it was near impossible to establish a stable communication between Insomnia and the far away land that they were deployed in, making the broadcasted information of their general status and the new date of arrival a very rare breakthrough. Thus, they bring this internal baggage with them in this very hour, no longer waiting in their homes like before and not letting time to be wasted to see them again.

Luna had understood because she, too, had left the comfort and had brought her worries here. She, too, was a loved one of a glaive.

Disguised with a casual coat and a scarf wrapped around her head like a hood to conceal her blonde locks, the princess approached quietly and sat on an empty seat right at the edge of this little group. It seemed that they hadn’t detected her presence yet. Hushed chats had continued with a pair of women, while their small children who sat on their laps were transfixed on the big screens that listed destinations in dotted letters. An old man and teenager focused on a game that involved a set of cards spread like a fan on their hands and the rest of the deck splayed on an empty seat between them. And then, there were three individuals who were left in silence– Two stood with their palms in their pockets and one sat with legs crossed – all generally stared at the large glass window, at the view of planes’ coming and going.

In the observance, the princess was left to only guess about their relation to the glaives. Wives, son and daughter. A father and a brother. Friends. Lovers. For now, it was a game of distraction until the arrival. Some had chosen to spend time with what they have and some still dwelled in thought.

As for Luna, well, she would try to get lost in a good book

However, in the rush to get to airport, she had forgotten to bring such or any literary material. The stories of the old had been an effective time killer but it never was a perfect solution. The heroes she read only added reminders of her glaive in the end. And when she tried to think of other distractions, the memories of quieter times would flood in – of the times that he would ease her internal nervousness that were caused by other things.

Of his calloused hand that wrapped hers warmly and protectively.

Of his words that made her feel safe.

_Princess… I’m here._

“Is that seat taken?”

Her thoughts were pulled back from wandering and she swiveled her head to search for the source of the voice that interrupted them.

A middle aged woman stood, wearing a bright outfit. Her dark brown eyes looked at Luna warmly and her smile revealed some lines on the olive skin. The princess shook her head, smiled back and gestured to the seat next to her.

The woman took it and comfortable sat while she caught her breath. “Are you here for the glaives?” she asked.

Luna nodded. The woman continued to babble.

“I hope it’s real this time. You know, I came here a week after my son left. I was on time and prepared to give him a big ol’ hug.” She sighed. Her smirk carried the letdown. “And then they only told me that their missions have been extended only after I spent the night here.”

Then she brought back the warm smile. “But not to worry, I came prepared this time.”

Luna saw the knitted shoulder bag. The woman grabbed something from it. A plastic container full of of crackers. She opened the lid and offered.

“Do you want some? You seem hungry.”

Before Luna could respectfully decline, the woman made an ‘oh’ and apologized. She offered a hand first instead.

“Nandini Khara.”

The blonde beamed, took the hand to shake it and gave her usual cover name. “Stella.” Then her head tilted a bit. “Pelna is your son?

Nandini nodded. “Yes, he is.” But her eyes quickly turned curious. “And you are..?”

“For Nyx.” Luna replied.

“Ah.” The mother sounded, still with a hint of curiosity. “That boy finally has someone from around here, huh. You know, I keep telling Pelna he should find someone too. And yes, I know I’m not supposed to pressure him but it’s nice to see that there are more people waiting for him, if you know what I mean.”

The princess chuckled softly. “I do know what you mean. The more, the merrier.”

In her heart, Luna had found the regret to not have Nyx’s mother to accompany her in this moment. Galahd was too far away and the travels had been rather perilous. Her glaive would never let her risk it. Ultimately, it was best for the Ulric matriarch to spend the waiting in her homeland.

As Nandini nibbled some crackers, she muttered after swallowing. “But it’s not always about that.”

The comment made Luna stare back at Pelna’s mother who seemed to have captured something else in her sights. She followed it with her own eyes and saw the three individual who waited along with them. Then the mother spoke again.

“Some of these glaives brought home with them.”

Nandini, then, pointed at herself to prove the point - which made the grin on the princess’ lips resurface. Next, she looked behind and pointed at one of the two women chatting. Luna’s sights followed again.

“Sonitus’ wife moved to the city with him when he joined the glaive. They’re raising their daughter here”

Nadini didn’t linger any longer and shifted focus on the middle aged man and the teenager who were busy shuffling the cards.

“Axis couldn’t leave his father and brother behind.”

And then they went back to the three individuals who still watched by the window.

“And for those who can’t bring their homes? They found them right here in city.”

In a new light, the princess watched the stillness of these people.

“It’s not always about the numbers.” Nadini continued. “It can be just one person that feels like home.”

Luna nodded, realizing for it to be true. The king had adopted her as his daughter but she was still Tenebrae’s princess at heart, which made her an immigrant, like the Nandini and the others. And like some of the glaives, she, too, found someone that felt like home. Not because Nyx reminded her of Tenebrae - far from it actually. It was because, with him, she felt free and sheltered at the same time even with the little things he had expressed.

And for Nyx… It was now clear that he had stored the same feeling about her in his heart. It was in his eyes that talked in silence. It was in his hands that held hers.

 _I’m here_ , he would always say, not only to assure her but to announce of his arrival.

Like he had finally come home.

A voice echoed among the airport noise. An announcement from the speakers. Luna would’ve dismissed if she hadn’t heard the word ‘Kingsglaive.’ Nandini stopped chewing and looked up. The others did too.

“ _Kingsglaive arriving at gate five. Kingsglaive arriving at gate five…”_

And with that, the small group shifted their feet. The wives got up and carried their children. The father and son hastily gathered their cards before standing up. The rest followed. Luna was right behind Nandini as they awkwardly sashayed into the crowd that was mostly going the other way. When they walked through, Luna looked at the signs and saw the number slowly increase.

Gate 2…

Gate 3…

Gate 4…

Finally, they all arrived at Gate 5 which seemed to be designated for military personnel. And there, at the end of the hallway, the doors were opened for soldiers to walk through. As soon as Luna had set her eyes on it, there were people who wore dark shirts and pants, with duffle bags carried by the hand.

The glaives.

“Pelna!” Nandini screamed. The mother ran as one of the soldiers did the same towards her. Mother and son collided with a strong embrace as he dropped the duffle bag. Even at a distance, Luna could hear the sobs and worried mumblings. The others were in a similar situation. A call for a cherished name. The rush to close the distance between them. And the longed embrace. For the some, it was followed by kisses. Tears of joy came flowing into the reunions. Gratefulness were in their utterances.  More of the glaives poured in. Some met the last of the waiting and others passed by with weariness because no one was there to meet them. Luna still maintained the slowness of her stride. She scanned the faces but none were her glaive’s.

“Nyx, where are you?” she mumbled.

After a moment of searching, the princess noticed that one of the wives had stopped to look out onto the huge glass window. A glaive was with her, talking to her solemnly as she carried her small daughter. The sobs that escaped her lips were of a different kind. Luna found a nearby window to see and as soon as her eyes found them, her heart dropped.

From the airplane’s rear exit were eight wooden coffins being carried and strictly escorted to a different entrance.

Sonitus’ wife soon shrilled a cry, buying her face into her child who was still clueless that her father had perished in the battle. The glaive who delivered the grave information could only comfort her with a hand on her shoulder. But she wasn’t the only one. A few feet forward from her was one of the lonesome lovers who was now on their knees as a different glaive seemingly gave the same news.

Luna felt despair for these soldiers and their family and, at the same time, she looked away to fight her fears.

 _Nyx is alive_ , she told herself.  _He’s alive and he will come home_.

Because it was the last order she gave him before he left. And faith had given her hope that he had followed it.

She moved away from the window and continued to search for faces. Eyes that didn’t have the ocean’s color looked straight ahead. Faces that didn’t bore the small tattoos were brooding. With every unfamiliar glaive, she grew more desperate. Where was her soldier? Where was her love?

And Finally she saw two faces that she recognized the most out of the ones that arrived so far. Libertus and Crowe were walking side by side, each carrying their own duffle bags. If these two are here then Nyx should be nearby. He should be. So Luna stopped her stride and waited

Moments passed, and the pair had walked nearer. Nyx was nowhere to be found.

Luna sifted through the people to face her glaive’s friends. Crowe was the first one who spotted her. No recognition on her face yet. Same with Libertus who had only noticed Luna when he almost bumped into her.

“I’m looking for Nyx.” the princess voiced calmly. “Is he here?”

The female glaive stared, as if there was something that needs to be noticed. Her stout friend began to speak but held his tongue before his voice was heard. It didn’t take a while though. Crowe’s eyes widened and so did Libertus.

“Your highness?” Crowe uttered in a whisper.

Luna nodded but her voice hurried nonetheless. “I need to find Nyx.”

Crowe and Libertus exchanged glances. It was the Galahdian’s turn to speak. “He’s already in the city.”

The princess felt relief from those words but her brows creased soon after. “Didn’t he board with you?”

“His flight arrived this morning, your highness.”

That didn’t make any sense. “What does that mean?”

“There was different plane. He…” A hesitation. A hint of defeat on his face. “…He arrived with the wounded.”

 

* * *

 

Luna knew these clean white halls and marbled floors.

She had been in this hospital many times as the Oracle Princess that healed the sick and the injured with prayers. However, she had not been here for reasons other than that. This instance wasn’t any different. She came here to heal once more.

Libertus and Crowe sauntered in front of her like there were in escort duty. She can see them look at each other some more, with questions on their faces - questions that probably involved the royal walking with them and her relation to their friend. But there was no abundance of surprise. Not even a tiny sliver of it. It was as if they had always known.

They quietly, but hurriedly, marched through and made a few turns before they found a sign that said ‘Intensive Care Unit’. They entered the twin doors below it and found a doctor who had been busy scribbling on a clipboard while standing to observe a patient on the other side of a viewing window. Soon, his eyes spotted them.

“How may I help you?”

“We’re looking for a member of the Kingsglaive, Nyx Ulric.” Crowe said.

The doctor led them to a window further down the hall, passing through more patients behind windows. The silence of the place could be deafening if it weren’t for the faint steps. When they stopped, the two glaives expressed their sorrow. Crowe hugged herself while Libertus looked down and covered his face with a hand. Luna felt the icy chill of dread. She covered her mouth. Her eyes formed tears.

Nyx laid motionless on the bed, battered and unconscious - out from the battlefield and still fighting to hold on to the thin thread of life.

His upper body raised a few degrees to a comfortable recline. Bandages covered his forehead. Black and blue bruises masked some parts of his face. An assortment of stitches formed hideous lines on his shoulder. A tube was fed into a hole on his neck and it was connected to a machine that seemed to aid his breathing. Other than that, the rest of his possible injuries were hidden under a blanket.

Luna didn’t bother to ask what has happened to him nor how he got in this condition. Yet his friends started telling the story of his valiant efforts in battle. He was doing his job, they said, but he paid for it. As their words faded in nothingness, the princess’ feet marched for the door.

However, the doctor moved in the way. “Wait! You’re not allowed to go inside.”

Her anger burned.  _How dare he!_

“Let me in!” she seethed.

“Ma’am the patient is in critical condition. Visitors might cause a great deal of stress and-”

Libertus cut in to her aid. “She’s the princess! Let her in!”

The doctor looked at them in confusion and disbelief. Finally, Luna unwrapped her hooded scarf and let her identity be revealed. Instant recognition was on his eyes. He bowed with fear and reverence.

“Your highness, I beg for forgiveness. I –I didn’t know.”

Luna calmed at the sight of the physician’s regret. Immediately, she felt guilty of her anger.

“It’s fine. I only ask you to let me in so that I can heal him.”

He nodded and moved out of the way. She rushed in, hearing the beeps of the machines for the first time, and stopped to only stand close to his side. His eyes were still shut to a tight close. His breathing sounded his struggle. She gently pulled the blanket to see the extent of his injuries. The more she saw, the more tears fell.

His upper arm was covered in more bandages. And the rest, below the elbow, no longer existed.

In other words, half of his right arm was gone.

Luna’s prayers may heal the gravest bleeding wounds and take away every illness known to in all Eos, but to ask for a brand new limb was futile, even for a sincere and powerful Oracle Princess like herself.

She temporarily pushed that thought aside and lowered her head to him until their foreheads touch. Her palms gingerly cupped his face. Her lips uttered divine requests while tears continued to stream down. Soon, they were granted. A light glowed and his wounds started to fade. She didn’t stop her prayer until her gut was sure that everything that can be fixed had been healed. After it was done, she parted from him to inspect. The bruises were gone. Cuts were turned into scars. And his breathing wasn’t labored like before.

He stirred, fighting through the great fatigue. But for now, he only seemed to be in a weak state of consciousness.

"Princess…” he uttered, the tone lost in his breath.   
  
Luna couldn’t control her sobs anymore and planted kisses on the bridge of his nose and on his cheek, while the glaive voiced another effort.   
  
“I… I’m here.”  
  
The princess stifled her crying and smiled. She reached out to his remaining hand with her own and held it tightly, fingers intertwined and warmth being shared.   
  
“Yes.” She whispered tenderly. “You are home.”


End file.
